Grand Council BE Grand Council not satisfied with the government's BLS bill
On Thursday, the Grand Council debated at first reading the law that is to regulate the canton's shareholding in BLS in future. The amendments proposed by the Control Committee (CC) were well received in Parliament.
05.09.2024, 12:22
SDA
In July, the CPC had called for a more precise BLS law. It saw a need for improvement in many areas. The law presented by the government was "too vague and "a missed opportunity", said GPK spokesperson Samuel Leuenberger (SVP) during the debate in parliament.
The first reading showed that the Grand Council was also not satisfied with the law presented by the government. The law did not deserve its name, said Manuel C. Widmer from the Green parliamentary group. "It is too bland, too despondent," was the opinion of Annegret Hebeisen-Christen on behalf of the SVP parliamentary group. "Things haven't always gone well at BLS," said Stefan Bütikofer (SP/Juso). This had to be taken into account in the new law.
"If you have a majority shareholding, you have to exert influence," said Matthias Matti (center). This does not seem to be the case with the current law. The new law should clarify the roles and create transparency, said Sandra Hess (FDP). Bruno Martin (EDU) called for a law that "does justice to everyone".
The canton could not just collect dividends, "it must also act", said Tom Gerber (EVP). The GLP also disagreed with the current law and was therefore largely satisfied with the GPK's revision, said Hannes Zaugg-Graf.
Commission called for numerous improvements
Among other things, the GPK had proposed obliging the canton to make full use of its options under company law as majority shareholder and to sharpen its objectives.
In addition, the law should stipulate that BLS should only be active in other areas of responsibility if these are related to its core task.
The commission also proposed adding an article to the law in which BLS's duty to cooperate with the relevant bodies of the Grand Council is enshrined.
The constitution wants the law
In the first reading, the Grand Council worked its way through the various paragraphs of the law and followed the proposals of the CPC. The cantonal parliament should conclude the first reading of the new BLS Act on Monday. The government will then have to go back to the books.
According to the cantonal constitution, the type and scope of significant cantonal shareholdings must be regulated in a law. No such law has yet been passed for the canton's shareholdings in BLS AG and BLS Netz AG. The Government Council presented the BLS Act in April.
The Canton of Berne holds a stake of just under 56 percent in BLS AG. Another major shareholder is the federal government with a stake of just under 22 percent. Other cantons and municipalities also have a stake in BLS, as do private individuals. BLS AG shares are traded over the counter.
The canton holds a 16.5 percent stake in BLS Netz AG. The remaining shares belong to the majority shareholder, the federal government, BLS and SBB.
